Author's Note: Believe it or not, a few lines were borrowed from the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Part 35
Kyle stared at the strands of Christmas lights stretched out in front of him. He had been sitting on a bale of hay over at Mr. Tony's barn untangling light strands for the past hour and a half. He and the others had gotten back and after helping Edward and the boys haul a bunch of stuff over to Mr. Tony's place Julia had insisted they sit down to lunch before getting started on the days' activities.
Maggie was running through the barn with Dayna's granddaughter Michelle, having a good time and not really being much help. Well, he thought with a quiet grin, they helped with El Capitan. Isabel was holding court across the barn, going over the day planner with Julia and Dayna. Liz and Maria were sorting through the boxes of Christmas decorations that Max was quietly hauling down in the hope that his sister would forget about his existence when the costumes came out. Edward and the boys were outside, stringing lights on the house and he looked up when Eddie came in and leaned over his shoulder.
"Got that next strand ready, Kyle?" he asked breathlessly.
"Yeah," he turned from the waist up, "take those two strands on the right and then you guys might need to take a hot chocolate break while I get to the next set."
"Cool, thanks!" Eddie carefully looped the strands around his elbow and shoulder before carrying them outside.
He plugged the next strand into the extension cord that ran across the floor and he frowned when it lit up only to flicker after a moment. He sighed and started the tedious work of locating the loose bulb. He jiggled each one, watching the lights from the corner of his eye as he lifted his head to find Michael.
The tall hybrid was carrying another box over to set it up on the makeshift tables, plywood sheets laying across sawhorses, for the girls to sort through. He didn't look too happy about being there and he had a feeling the guy was dreading hearing his name when Isabel started the costume roll call. It didn't take a genius to know Michael did not want to reprise his role as Santa Claus. He watched as Maggie and Michelle chased each other until they were breathless and they collapsed on a bale of straw against the wall to converse and giggle quietly.
His attention was pulled away when the lights flickered and held for a moment before blinking out once more. Aaargh! What was up with these lights? Every single strand was acting up! He sighed and went back to wiggling each individual light, searching for the loose bulb. He looked up when the dynamo duo got up to race across the barn, heading right for Michael.
Maria caught Michael's hand when he dropped a box on the table and started to back away. He had been determined on the ride back that they were going to leave soon, but he hadn't said a word about it when they had arrived back at the house. All through hauling stuff over to the house and then lunch she had left the subject alone, hoping he had changed his mind. "You're gonna be a good Santa, you know."
He shook his head and looked down at their joined hands. "Let Kyle play the part of the fat elf," he muttered. "I turned in my Santa badge last year, not interested in renewing it."
"C'mon, Michael," she whispered, "a good Santa's a sexy Santa." She shot a glance over her shoulder at Kyle. "I love Kyle, but… he can't be Santa. I can't play Snowflake to his Santa. It's just… so wrong."
"No, you can't," he agreed. "That's just one more reason why this whole thing is wrong and doesn't need to happen."
Maggie ran up to Michael and grabbed his other hand. "Hey, Michael. Michael, I want you to meet my best friend." She looked back at Michelle. "This's Michael and Maria." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He knows Santa."
Michelle's mouth dropped open as she looked between Michael and Maria. Her brown eyes shone brightly, her pretty face framed by the soft light blue fur of her hood. "Really?" she whispered.
"Uh-huh, he knows lots about Santa."
Maria smiled at the look of awe on the little girls' faces as they watched Michael. She gave his hand a light squeeze when she saw the discomfort in his expression. She crouched down so that she was on their level and she brought her second hand up to cover the one she held, rubbing over his knuckles. "He really does," she whispered with a smile.
Julia looked around, locating the girls after just a moment. "Maggie, Michelle, will you two help me with the cookies in Mrs. Tony's kitchen?"
"Bye, Michael," Maggie said with a big grin. "We'll make you some special cookies and you can have them while they're still hot." She turned and grabbed Michelle's hand and the two of them ran out of the barn, heading up to the house.
Michael's gaze followed them until they were out of sight and he sighed as he lowered his head in defeat when Maria stood and looked up at him. "You know you owe me for this."
"Um-hmm," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around him. "Peach Snapple and a foot rub?"
"For starters," he growled as his arms came around her.
Max dropped a box on the table, nearly upsetting the plywood before Michael lunged to press down on the opposite end. He shoved the box closer to the center and leaned back to stretch. "I think my back's broken," he groaned.
"Here they are," Dayna exclaimed as she tugged the box lid back and reached inside to lift out a handful of brightly colored material.
"Your back seems to be much better," Kyle observed as El Presidente tensed up, his back ramrod straight.
Max shot a look at him, but didn't dare say a word. His eyes followed his sister as she hurried to join Dayna to gush over the horrible costumes being pulled out one by one. And they were still on the girls' costumes, he thought as he eyed the first one skeptically. She handed it to Maria with a smile.
"Don't worry, dear, we can take in any material that doesn't fit," she assured her.
Michael made a face and he shook his head as the woman shook the outfit and held it up. It was obviously for a tall woman with big… um, yeah… what was the word? The politically correct word that would save him from a verbal flaying. Well-endowed, that was it. He rolled his eyes when the next one was taken out and held up. Okay, that one was for someone shorter than Liz. She handed that one over to the brunette and insisted that they would make it work.
When she shook out the next item Max lost some color and he could hear Kyle nearly choking behind him. Green thermal tights with a little pointed hat. Um-hmm, those were great. Okay, if that was the alternative, he'd take Santa's stupid red and white suit without too much complaint. He wouldn't be caught dead in something like that.
Dayna held the tights up in front of Max and shook her head. "Well, they are a bit long, but don't you worry, we'll fix them up in no time."
Kyle was feeling really good about being the assistant to the Christmas Nazi and her associate as he watched the others fidget. "Evans, I like that hat." He reached up to point to his own ears. "It's gonna really take the focus off of the other points on your head."
"Sugar muffin, how're those lights coming along?" Isabel asked as she moved over to lift up the end of the strand he was working on.
He grinned triumphantly as he held up the cheerfully blinking strand.
"Honey… are you sure?" She jiggled it and frowned in confusion when the lights flickered out again.
"Michael, I'm afraid your suit will be here a little later," Dayna said. "Isabel told me you were looking forward to being Santa and I'm sure it'll fit you just fine."
He forced a smile that came out looking more like a grimace. "Well, I think I'll go see what's happening outside." He was sure Edward and the boys must need some help and at this point he didn't care if it meant hanging from the rafters to hang lights.
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Brian fed the strands of lights up to his dad and Michael, keeping the wires from getting tangled up while they hung them. They had been working for a while now, the silence thick and only occasionally broken whey Eddie would run out with more lights for them to hang. He was bored with his assigned job, but he knew he wasn't getting out of it until the lights were all hung. He shifted, his boots landing on a patch of untouched snow and it made a loud crunching sound. He picked his foot up and put it down a couple of times, listening to the noise as the snow crunched underfoot.
"Brian," Edward growled when the annoying sound continued.
The teenager sighed and looked up at Michael. "So, Michael… you play hockey where you're from?"
Michael glanced down at him, one hand wrapped around the top rung of the ladder and the other holding onto the ledge he was attaching the lights to. "I wish. Not much opportunity to get on the ice in Miami."
"We have a shootout competition for charity here every year." He loosened his grip on one of the coils of lights when Dad tugged on it. "I bet Dad or Big Dave could come up with a pair of skates and a stick for you to practice."
"Dinner's ready!" Maggie and Michelle shouted at the same time as they made their way to join the guys. "Michael, Mama said to come and eat and to not hang anymore lights before dinner."
Edward paused to look down at his little girl. "Mama didn't have a message for me?"
She twisted back and forth, her boots cutting a half-moon trench in the snow. She smiled up at him. "Nope, Mama said soon as the lid came off the chili you wouldn't need to be told twice."
He snorted at that and finished putting the end of his strand up before he climbed back down the ladder. Eddie ran outside just as his feet hit the ground and he motioned back to the doors. "Go round everyone up, tell 'em supper's on the table."
"Did Mom make chili like she said she was gonna?" the boy asked eagerly.
"I can get 'em, Edward," Michael offered as he stretched one arm out to secure the end of the strand to the ledge. He slapped Eddie on the back as his feet landed on the ground. "Just leave some for the rest of us."
"No problem, Michael," Eddie said with a grin.
Edward didn't comment outside of a nod. "Let's head up to the house, kids." They had come back to the house earlier with a vehicle he recognized but they had provided very little in the way of an explanation. He looked at Michael. "We'll see you in a few minutes."
Michael nodded and watched as Maggie took Edward's hand, looking up at him and chattering up a storm as they walked up to the house. Michelle was keeping pace beside her friend, adding her input when it was needed. The boys darted around their dad and the girls, heading straight for the house and the hot food waiting inside. He stepped into the barn and glanced around at the activity going on around him.
Maria and Liz were at the makeshift tables, organizing the ornaments by size, shape and color and Kyle was still relegated to light duty. He was surrounded by several piles of knotted light strands and he was fairly certain Isabel was responsible for that. Isabel was sorting through the decorations at another of the tables, barely paying any attention to her brother's impassioned speech.
"Isabel, you can't possibly expect me to parade around in a pair of puke green tights."
Maria rolled her eyes as she glanced at Liz. "You know he's not gonna win."
"He knows it too," Liz admitted, "but he has to put up a token resistance."
Isabel sighed loudly as she carefully put down an ornament and turned to look at her brother. "I'm sure we can do something about the color," she said with a smile. She reached behind him and grabbed something, settling the little pointed hat on his head. She stood back for a moment, tilting her head to one side as she studied it. "Hmm…" She reached up to adjust it, moving it to one side so that it sat at a jaunty angle. "There, that's better." She smiled and patted his arm. "I think you'll be a perfect reindeer wrangler."
Michael smirked at the dumbfounded look on Max's face. A lifetime together and he still hadn't learned that there was no winning in an argument with Isabel. If she wanted to dress him up in green tights and a pointy hat, she'd get her way. Just like she had when they had been kids and she'd imposed her sense of fashion on him.
"Hey, it's time for dinner." He looked over at his good buddy and motioned to his little elf hat. "Maybe you could leave that here. This's already gonna give me nightmares."
"That's true," Kyle added without looking up from the knotted strand he was trying to untangle. "Kinda makes me think of that movie… ya know, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Only, it's Max who's gonna be runnin' around in the green tights." He and Michael exchanged a look and he grinned at the nearly imperceptible nod.
"We're men, MANLY men, we're men in tights," Michael sang out unexpectedly.
Kyle chimed in with a high-pitched feminine voice, "Yes!"
And then they sang out the next line together. "We roam around the forest looking for fights."
"You guys are hilarious," Max muttered as he jerked the hat off and threw it on the table.
Michael laughed and high-fived Kyle when he held his hand up. "Good one." He nodded at the lights. "C'mon, you can finish those later."
"Dinner, huh?" He grabbed Michael's hand, wincing when his knees protested the sudden movement as he was helped to his feet. "Damn, I don't think I've moved my legs once in the past couple of hours. We don't have to walk over to the house do we?"
"Huh-uh, we're havin' dinner here at Mr. Tony's place. Maggie said we're havin' chili."
"Chilly's a good word… don'tcha think, Evans?"
"Okay, that's enough jokes at Max's expense," Liz spoke up with a sympathetic look at her husband. He really had no defense and she knew he wasn't going to get out of wearing the outfit for his position.
"Your costume is perfectly acceptable," Isabel said as she picked up the hat Max had thrown back down on the table. She folded it flat and smoothed her hand over it so that it wouldn't end up with wrinkles creased into the fabric.
"Uh-huh, like the girls' costumes or the Santa suit are all acceptable?" He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her. "If it's so great why don't we ever see you running around in one of these things?"
Kyle nearly choked on his tongue. Whether it was the image that leapt to mind or the shock over Evans actually daring to voice such a question, he wasn't sure. "So, you said dinner's ready, right? I think we should – "
Isabel's right hand shot up, an insistent motion that demanded they all remain where they stood. "Do you have the slightest idea what it takes to put something like this together?" she asked as she stared her brother down. "At what point did you learn to balance all the details that go into planning an event of this magnitude?"
"It's not exactly the Macy's Day Parade, Isabel," he countered. "Hang some lights, throw some trimmings up, stick a tree in a corner somewhere…"
She drew herself up to her full height and looked down her nose at him. "It also isn't Whoville, little brother. So take the tree out of your Grinchy ass and put a smile on your face because like it or not you're wearing the tights, the little hat, and you'll also wear a big Christmas-y smile while answering questions about reindeer."
"This's the part where you just smile and say, 'Yes, Mein Fuhrer'," Michael offered helpfully.
Isabel's head whipped around and she turned her laser eyes on him, daring him to say another word.
Kyle tried not to laugh and after nearly biting through his bottom lip to achieve a solemn expression he lost it when Michael let loose with a rare donkey laugh.
Maria turned to look at him, unable to stop her own laughter from escaping in response to Michael's laughter. It wasn't something he did very often and she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him laugh so openly. As they brought themselves under control he held his hand out to her and she linked her fingers through his, smiling when he tugged her close and tucked their joined hands in his coat pocket.
"Maybe you could stop encouraging the Christmas Nazi," Max growled to Kyle as they stepped outside. "You have any idea what you're doing by playing along with this madness?"
"Evans, Evans, Evans, I know exactly what I'm doin'," Kyle assured him. "You have Liz, Michael has Maria… and Isabel?" He turned in a circle, arms held wide. "She has me and the insanity of Christmas." He sobered as he met the other man's gaze. "Let her win this one, Evans. Just wear the stupid costume."
Max stared after him when he walked back to the barn to push the door closed as Isabel emerged behind the other couple. He had no idea what his sister and Kyle were talking about as they walked together. Actually, most of the time he had no clue what they talked about. He knew she and Kyle had grown close and he didn't know if they were heading toward a relationship or if they would simply maintain their friendship, but he did know whether it happened or not the two of them would always be there for each other.
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The front door opened as they stomped the snow off of their boots and Maggie dodged between them to get to Michael. She latched onto his hand and tugged on him, pulling him inside. "It's cold out here," she chastised, fussing over him as he shrugged out of his gear. "Mama said to make sure you come in and get somethin' warm to eat. And the chili's real good." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Mama made the homemade bread too." She smiled widely. "I saved you the biggest piece and Michelle's watching it to make sure the boys don't eat it 'cause it's for you."
Maria smiled as she watched her Spaceboy being given the special treatment. He deserved every bit of the unconditional love Maggie lavished on him and she loved watching him with the little girl. She was good for Michael and in spite of his reservations about playing Santa for the community she knew he would do it because he wouldn't be the one to disappoint Maggie. He would make himself do it if for no other reason than to put a smile on the face of a certain five-year-old.
In the kitchen Maggie made sure Michael was given the largest piece of bread once he had served himself a bowl of the homemade chili. He was reaching for one of the drinks that had been lined up at the back of one of the counters when Maggie looked up at him. "Daddy bought S…" she frowned when a hand covered her mouth and she tipped her head back to look up at Eddie.
"You made a pinky swear, remember?" he reminded her as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. He smiled when her eyes grew large and she shook her head, silently telling him to let her go.
Michael watched her as she bit her bottom lip and looked over at her best friend. It was obvious that she wanted to tell Michelle all about it but she knew it was a secret and she was fighting to keep it to herself.
Kyle leaned back against the counter next to him, taking in his bloodshot eyes and his cheeks, reddened by the wind. "Man, you look about like I feel. All I've got to say is thank Buddha we're done for the night."
He smirked and shook his head as he turned to point at the sofas visible through the wide doorway that opened up into the large living room. There were large bags of air-popped popcorn along with bags of cranberries resting on the plaid cushions. "I wouldn't bet on that, sugar muffin."
Next to him Maggie and Michelle exchanged a look and started giggling.
Kyle groaned when he saw pinpricked fingertips in his near future. He watched Isabel as she wandered around the sofas, checking the popcorn and cranberries for who knew what. He pointed to the counter on Michael's left side. "Hand me a couple of bowls, would you?" After dishing up the chili and grabbing a couple pieces of bread he carried everything over to the table. "Hey, babe, dinner's on the table, come an' get it," he called. He chuckled at the look she shot him over her shoulder as he went back to the counter to grab a couple of drinks.
Isabel joined the others, taking the chair between Kyle and Dayna and before long she was immersed in the details for the next stage of preparations.
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After dinner the Stevens' boys were cleaning up the kitchen while Isabel was instructing everyone on the proper stringing order and ratio of popcorn to cranberries. Maggie and Michelle were standing in the doorway, watching and listening. They giggled when the tall blonde called Kyle over to begin the first strand of the homemade garland.
Michael was standing behind the two little girls, rolling his eyes as Isabel went over the importance of making sure the proper sequence of five popcorn and two cranberries was followed. Again. Yeah, I'll take that stupid fat elf suit for a day, he decided.
Watching him, Maria knew exactly what was on his mind as they exchanged a look. She held a hand out to him and he answered her silent request by walking over to her and dropping his exhausted body down on the couch beside her.
Maggie and Michelle settled into one of the recliners with a large bowl of popcorn and a smaller bowl of cranberries. They watched Mama with interest as she leaned over them, placing thimbles on their forefingers.
"But, Mama, that's gonna make it hard to hold the stuff," Maggie complained.
"You don't want to use your fingers as pincushions do you?" Julia said in that tone that made it clear it wasn't really a question. She went back to her seat next to Dayna and she watched the girls as they giggled about something. She was enjoying the sparkle that had replaced the sadness in her little girl since being told there wouldn't be a Christmas on the Lake this year. Her heart swelled as she scanned the room full of Santa's 'elves' and she marveled at the form miracles could take in their lives. Who would've guessed that six teenagers from Miami stranded on their doorstep would be that miracle?
Maggie held up the needle, the fingers of her free hand sliding along the string until she reached the little knot at the end. She frowned when she tried to pick up one of the cranberries and it kept slipping past her thimbled fingertip.
"Those look all slippery. Want some help?" Michelle asked quietly. She reached into her own bowl and popped a piece of the fluffy popcorn in her mouth before plucking a cranberry out of the other bowl for her friend.
She wrinkled her nose as she looked up. "Mama, the thimble keeps getting in the way," she complained.
As the evening passed the atmosphere was light and pleasant, and filled with warmth and laughter. Edward was dozing in the matching recliner next to Maggie and Michelle, his bowl of popcorn tipped over to rest against the arm of the chair. He was slumped to one side, his elbow braced on the arm of the chair and his mouth slightly open as the side of his head rested against his fisted hand. Julia and Dayna were talking and keeping an eye on the girls, just enjoying the chance to relax and enjoy themselves.
Brian had challenged Max to a game of chess and since he had been looking for a way to escape his sister's clutches he had readily agreed. Liz was watching the game and contributing to the conversation on occasion. Her attention was pulled away when Isabel spoke up and suggested they sing Christmas carols while they worked.
"Oh, that's a good idea," Maria enthused. "We should put on some music."
Eddie offered to get up and put the music on, giving Maria a big smile as he gave up his seat next to her to go and search through the CDs on the shelf by the stereo.
"Wanna go show Michael our garland?" Maggie asked.
Michelle nodded and the two girls wiggled down out of the recliner, nodding when Julia saw them and reminded them to be careful with the needles.
Michael slouched down further into the cushions, letting his head rest against the back. "Not gonna happen," he muttered quietly. "I might wear that stupid suit, but I'm not singin' any songs."
"You were singing in the barn," Maria reminded him gently.
"That wasn't singing," he denied. "That was mocking Max, there's a difference."
Maggie and Michelle started to sing Jingle Bells as they hurried across the room. Julia was issuing another warning about the needles when Maggie ran into Michael's outstretched legs and as the thimble flew across the floor the needle went into her fingertip. She froze and looked down at her finger, her expression momentarily stunned.
Michael shot up to a sitting position and reached for the little girl, noting her expression. "You okay, Princess Maggie?"
She frowned down at her finger. "It's just a little ouch," she said, holding it out to him.
He accepted her hand, holding it in his palm and looking down at the little pinprick.
Maria smiled and patted Michael's shoulder. "I think I saw some band aids in the bathroom." She shifted to stand up be was stopped by his free arm.
"Fetch us a couple of Snapple's on your way back, Snowflake."
Maria looked into her Spaceboy's eyes. His stare was insistent, the set of his jaw line indicating that his words were a challenge. She inclined her head, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gave him a smile. "Snowflake, huh? My name is Maria," she said, dragging her name out. "And did you just say to fetch you some Snapple?"
Maggie sniffled at the stinging pinpoint at the tip of her finger and a moment later she glanced at Michelle and the two of them started giggling as they watched Maria teasing Michael.
Maria leaned in close to him to whisper, "I'll get Snowflake right on it." She kissed his cheek and got up to go and search for a band aid.
He mentally groaned when his gaze followed her and as she moved out of sight he saw Isabel smiling at him. He was gonna be stuck for the next week doing the Christmas Nazi's bidding. He turned his attention to Maggie, smiling at her as he patted the cushion next to him. She scrambled up to sit beside him and he reached out to tug on the edge of Michelle's coat. "You wanna take this off?"
Michelle shook her head shyly and Maggie filled Michael in on how her best friend never took her hood off unless she had a hat to wear when she was around new people. The little girl bit her bottom lip as she waited to see if he was going to make fun of her.
"That makes perfectly good sense," he said finally. "Tell ya what… you have a seat up here," he patted the cushion on his other side, "and I'm gonna grab your supplies so we can get to work on these things."
Michelle climbed up on the couch and turned her head to smile at Maggie when he went to collect the popcorn and cranberry bowls. "He is nice," she whispered. "He's not scary at all."
"I told you," Maggie whispered back.
Maria leaned in the doorway, smiling as she watched Michael patiently stringing popcorn and cranberries with the two little girls. He was eating more popcorn than he was stringing but his admirers didn't seem to care, giggling each time he shoved another handful in his mouth. She could see that he was tired though that had nothing to do with him declining to join in when everyone started singing Christmas carols.
"We should call it a night here pretty soon," Kyle murmured to Isabel.
She looked around the room, taking in the activity and the tired features of their friends, old and new, and she nodded. "We're almost finished with the garland." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Thanks for everything today."
He grinned at her. "Always. Just promise you won't have me up at the crack of dawn to get started on this again."
"Well…"
He laughed quietly. "Okay, but I'm gonna need a big breakfast first."
She rolled her eyes and snorted at that. "Is there any other kind? You know you eat like a horse."
He just shot another grin at her. "Don't feed me and I'll show you how I can sleep like a log."
She laughed and shoved his shoulder again. "We'll head back to the cabins in the next hour, how's that?"
"Sounds good."
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Michael yawned widely as he stood to stretch. After coming back to the cabin he had sat down to watch the news, waiting for the sports news and scanning for anything that might be relevant to their current situation. Other than the weatherman forecasting more snow there wasn't much newsworthy and as they wrapped up with a local story he turned the television off.
He took a drink from his Snapple as he walked over to the bed, sitting the half-empty bottle on the nightstand and emptying his pockets out. The sound of water sloshing against the sides of the bathtub caught his attention and he wandered over to the bathroom to lean against the doorframe. He hooked his thumbs in his pockets as his gaze traced over Maria's back, her skin wet and flushed from the heat.
He saw her cheek curve upward and knew she was smiling. She was enjoying a long soak in the tub, once again reading The Fugitive. "Hope you're takin' notes," he growled as he pushed away from the doorframe and moved further into the room. He turned and dropped down to sit on the floor next to the tub, his right arm resting on the edge as he met her gaze over the top of the book. He dropped his chin on his forearm as his fingertips dragged through the water.
She tipped the book back toward herself, tapping it against her chin as she watched him. "You know you were great with the girls, helping them with the garland."
He shrugged. "What else was I gonna do? I was surrounded by girls and let's not forget the Christmas Nazi. Isabel had her own plans and until she was satisfied that her precious little planner had all the proper checkmarks by tonight's schedule I wasn't gonna get any rest… or my foot rub." His lips smacked as he feigned a thoughtful expression. "Then there was the added bonus of eating all that popcorn." He smirked. "Would've been better with butter and some Tabasco sauce, but it was tolerable."
"Um-hmm, it's all about how much you could stuff in your mouth." Maria smiled and let her fingers trail over his arm. She was relaxed and squeaky clean and she could feel the rush of being so close to him, wanting him. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when he gave her a grin and stood up. "Wait, Michael, where're you going?"
"Well, the guy who knows Santa and all the most important elves has had a long day and he'll be waitin' in bed for that overdue foot rub." He leaned over and kissed her. "Snowflake has duties to perform." He was smirking as he left the bathroom.
Maria shifted when she heard him undressing followed by the sound of the bed sheets and blankets rustling as he got settled. She leaned over to toss the book on the small countertop and strained her ears, glancing around for Mickey before getting out of the tub and drying off. It felt good to be with Michael and have him acting so normal. He was beginning to relax and sure, it was good for all of them, but it was really good for him. He needed it so much and just seeing him like that meant everything to her.
She wrapped the towel around herself and walked out into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of him in bed. His arms were folded behind him, his hands interlocked and supporting his head as he watched her. He was stretched out, taking up his half of the bed and then some. He waved one foot at her with that know-it-all smirk on his face and she hid a smile when his heated gaze slid over her. Um-hmm, two can play at that game, Spaceboy, she thought with a smirk of her own.
Her gaze swept over the nightstand when the firelight flickering behind her glinted off of his wallet chain. She tipped her head to one side as she leaned forward to pick up the tiny plastic piece lying amidst a pile of change, a few crumpled bills, and Maggie's picture. "Michael, isn't this one of the gingerbread playing pieces from the game you were playing this morning over at Kyle and Isabel's?" She turned to look at him. "Why do you still have it?"
He lifted his eyes to meet her curious gaze. "You're not getting outta the foot rub, Snowflake."
She put the playing piece down and crawled up on the bed, still wrapped in the damp towel. She gave him that smile that was reserved just for him as she leaned over to grab a bottle of lotion off of her nightstand.
"Maria, is that the one that smells like flowers or fruit or somethin'?" he said as he pulled his foot back out of reach.
"Does it matter? Unless anyone's planning to get down and smell your feet it won't matter. I'm pretty sure no one's gonna even think of trying to do that." She rolled her eyes and reached for his foot, wrapping her fingers around it and pulling it into her lap. She warmed the lotion between her hands and her thumb barely stroked over his instep.
His eyelids closed in anticipation of her touch.
Maria's eyes strayed back to the little gingerbread man, her expression thoughtful. Why had he held on to it?
His left eye lifted to check on her when her touch remained the same.
"Michael… tell me…"
"Hop to, Snowflake. Santa needs his foot rub."
She cradled his foot in one hand and started to rub the sole with long strokes with the other as she continued to contemplate the little piece of plastic. "Michael…"
His lips quirked in a quiet smile and he admitted something he would never admit to another living soul. "So I can win the Candy Castle of course."